Life of Loki
by mudpie102
Summary: Katherine known as Kat is on a SHEILD ship when it sinks, leaving her shipwrecked with a hostile Loki.


A loud, deep rumble breaks into my consciousness. The ship shakes. My eyes open. I look around, listening. Nothing. I lean over the side of my bunk and wake my sister.

"Ramona? Did you hear that?" I paused, waiting for a response "Ramona?"

She nestled into her blankets sleepily "...I'm sleeping," she groaned.

"I'ts a thunderstorm let's go and watch!" I was so excited.

"Are you crazy? We'll get hit by lightning!" Ramona was always a drama queen. I roll my eyes.

"No we won't. It'll hit the bridge first!" let's just hope the Hulk doesn't get annoyed first I thought to myself.

"Don't tempt a storm, Kat." ever since she joined SHEILD she was no fun. Serious this, serious that. She was like a completely different person. Now she was also dragging me along with her. Though secretly I loved being on a secret agent ship. With gods and iron-man and all sorts of people.

I clamber out of bed and head upstairs onto the deck. The deck of the ship is dark. I step out into the bracing rain and walk to the rail, wind whipping in my hair. I laugh, exhilarated, as rain splashes over my face. Throwing my arms wide,I dance a silly jig, slipping more than once on the rain-soaked deck, shouting in giddy adolescent triumph. " More rain god of storms! Let it rage!" I shout. Even though I don't believe god.

I finish, laughing as I fall against the railing. The deck lights suddenly all come on at once; a warning alarm sounds over the loudspeakers.I slip to the front of the deck and stand up, watching in horror as a wave washes over the bow, carrying several agents overboard. I push myself away from the railing and run back down below.

I stumble down the tilted staircase.  
"Ramona get out!" I try to warn her. My throat going horse.

Halfway down, I hit water. I dive, searching for my sister. The hall lights flicker - the passage falls dark aninstant before the emergency lights come on in the waterbelow, which nearly reaches the ceiling. I dive, trying to swim against the flowing current.

I try to swim further, but the enormous force of rushing water and air is too great; I scramble backward, groping toward the stairwell.

I burst out onto deck, coughing and gagging for air.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I scream.

I see movement - three men across the boat. I run over, identifying three figures. Agent Barton with a firm grip on the prisoner Loki and Agent Romanov.

Agent Hill is on the stern of one of the lifeboats that hangs off the side of the ship. I run to Agent Barton.

"Please save my sister!" I beg.

"Don't scare. Okay? Wait stay here." Romanov handles the situation skilfully and calmly as she always does.

She grabs a life vest and starts to put it on me. "Here, put this on!"

"You have to help her, please! Oh no my sister, please. You have to help her, my sister is back there." I'm shouting at her now, angry.

"We don't have time."She prepares to jump onto the ship."We help. You must go."

They shove a life vest over my head. Despite my protest.

"You have to go now." she urgently warns me. It's almost a command.

"No wait! My sister - she can't swim..."

"This is your last chance-just go!"

"No please!"  
They guide me to the side, where a section of the ship's railing has been removed to give access to the lifeboat. They push me over the edge; I fall onto the lifeboat, bouncing on the protective tarp that is still stretched taut across the bow. I grab at the rope holding the bow, trying not to slip off. The agents are shouting at Agent Hill, who stands at the stern.

"Hey! You! What are you doing?!" Agent Barton shouts "The prisoner needs to be guarded!"

"Loosen the lines! Bring it down!" Agent Hill commands.

"Tie it down! Tie it down!" I don't know if she's talking to me.

"Jump! Jump!" she tells the agents and Loki. The agents look towards the upper deck. I follows their looks and watche in horror as a huge lightning strike hits the side of the ship, careens through the air toward the safety of the lifeboat. Agent Hill staggers backward and jumps out of the way, falling to the water below. I throw up my arms as the life boat starts to drop. The lifeboat plummets to the water below. The impact spins it around, nearly washing me overboard. I am left clinging to the back of the tarp. As the lifeboat drops down the side of the swell,  
I slide to the front of the tarp. The ships' propeller  
rise behind me.

As I steady myself, a swell lifts the lifeboat, crashing it onto the deck of the ship. It drops back into the sea, rolling over completely. The vessel instantly rights itself - the lifeboat is designed to be virtually unsinkable. I land on the lifeboat's floorboards.

I sees the ship at an angle, it's bow dipping below the water. As I try to get up, I notice the orange emergency whistle that dangles from the vest. I grab it and blow, shouting between blasts.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY, HELP ME!" The deck lights of the freighter glow with a cheery,unnatural brilliance. By the light of the ship, I can just make out a distant figure in the water.

"HEY! OVER HERE!" I spy a lifebuoy tied to a rope. I grab it and heave it as far as I can. The lifebuoy splashes a few yards away from the shadowy figure.

The moment I feel a tug on the line, I jumps into the uncovered part of the boat, lie back and begin hauling the rope in. Nearly finished, I lift my head to peer over the side and see who I've rescued.

"Loki? " A beat - and then I realize what I've done. I scramble backward in horror, trying to throw the rope overboard.

"NO! GO AWAY!"

Loki paddles toward the boat. I grab an oar, wielding it against the approaching figure.

Loki does not try to grab the oar. I yank the oar away, falling onto my back.

I listen as Loki claws his way up the side of the swaying boat, coughing and gagging water. I scramble backward, oar still in hand. I rise and jumps overboard.

I plunge into the roiling water. An enormous wave rolls toward me - filling my lungs with air, I dives under, away from the assault of the raging storm.

Silence as I hang below the surface, arms wide, groping for focus and calm.

Lightning casts a blazing white veil over the surface of the water above me, backlighting fish and animals, waves frozen in time like wrinkled bedsheets, their motionless texture pocked and dimpled with raindrops. As the sky explodes in white flashes, the scene is caught in surreal still shots. A hippo swims past, it's heavy form moving gracefully. I swim forward - then freeze, reacting in horror as...

A shark swoops past me and up toward the struggling people near the surface. I dive defensively.

Ahead, the ship is visible, fifty feet beyond , its deck lights dipping below the surface, casting an eerie underwater glow, bubbles flowing up to the surface; nearby, I can make out the floating oar.

I burst above water in total panic, throwing my arms around the oar, coughing up sea water and bile. The lifebuoy floats a dozen feet off; I swim toward it. I grab the oar moments before a huge wave sweeps me up and over the lifeboat. I land on the other side, the oar lost, and I drag myself onto the stern. I jump over the struggling Loki and scramble onto the boat tarp. An oar sticks out from under the boat cover, hanging out over the front of the lifeboat. I climb out on the oar, keeping myself a safe distance from Loki. The air vibrates with a tremendous belching groan; I look over to the cargo ship, watching, astounded...

"Ramona! Ramona! Ramona! I'm sorry! I'm sorry...!"

The ship abruptly keels and sinks beneath the surface. I watch in horror as the ship plummets into the depths of the Mariana Trench, it's deck lights gradually fading. I burst into tears as waves from the sinking vessel buffet our lifeboat.

I weep uncontrollably.

The storm has passed, but the skies are still heavy with disgusting grey clouds. I have hung the lifebuoy on the oar and now sit on it, slumped in exhaustion and shivering.

With what energy I still have, I weep - my face is puffy and swollen from a night of tears. I watch a shark fin knife through the waves. My feet have  
been trailing in the water; I quickly lift them out. I raise my head, looking at my new surroundings - water and air, clouds and sky. Nothing on the horizon.

I creep forward on the oar, pulling myself onto the gunnels - the side of the boat. No sign of Loki.


End file.
